Grants to the general community for innovative projects that highlight the community’s cultural diversity and contribute to social harmony.
Grants for Ethnic Radio.
Work Experience and Support Program (WESP).
They help recognise overseas qualifactions.
And they provide inturpretures.
The Council for Multicultural Australia (CMA) was established in July 2000, its goal is to raise awareness and understanding of Australian multiculturalism. The CMA:
Promote Australia's cultural diversity as a productive and unifying force in our society.
Raise awareness of community harmony and social cohesion, particularly through the Living in Harmony initiative, including Harmony Day
Raise awareness of the economic and social benefits of cultural diversity, particularly through the Productive Diversity program.
Raise awareness of the relevance of Australia's multicultural policy for all Australians.
The CMA may not seem to be directly helping individual migrant but it is providing a community in which they can more easily fit into.
The Australian legal system has helped migrants fit into the Australian community quite effectivly. Obviously more works has to be done but in progress whise the multicultural cause has come a very long way.
In Australia’s multicultural Policy defines multiculturism as “the freedom of all Australians to express and share their cultural values is dependent on their abiding by mutual civic obligations.” This goal is getting closer and closer everyday and in many ways has already been achieved.
In order to stop descimination legislation has been brought in to stop discrimination, The racial discrimination Act 1974 (Cwlth) prohibates the discrimination against anyone due to their race or ethnicity. Racism is one of those areas which the government has tried to stop but has not been as successful as they could have been.
The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) does not allow people to discriminate against people because of theirrace, gender, sexuality, marital status or disability. The protection of the Anti-Discrimination Act is seen higher then the racial discrimination Act, the racial discrimination Act does not prohibate indirect racism but the Anti-Discrimination Act does provide protection from indirect discrimination.
Despite the fact that racial discrimination has dropped over the years, there are still people out there who hold racist veiws, this can been seen with the example of the One Nation party, who had anti Asian migration policy’s and at on stage One Nation had the support of 12% of Australia’s population.
But if a migrant or encounters racism they may report it to the Human Rights of Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). HREOC is a government run organisation which provides mediation and help for both parties involved in the racism.
The Austrlain Government also helps migrant settle in by providing ethnic media such as newspapers, television channels such as SBS and also SBS radio which is broadcast in 68 different languages which is more than any broadcaster in the world. Migrants are also helped settle in through English classes which are run in adult learning assosiations and English as a second language (ESL) cources are run in schools for migrant students. The translating and iinterpreting Service (TIS) is provided by the DIMIA, it is a 24 hour free phone translations and DIMIA also provide 3 way translation for doctors and other services.
Social Services are not given to migrants as soon as they become permenant residence or Austrlain Citizens, they can only get these services after they have been permanent residence for two years or two years after arriving in Australia. The Social Security Act 1991 (Cwlth) says that the two year waiting period applies to a majority of the social security payments, during the two years independent migrants are expected to support themselves and family supported migrants must be supported by their sponsor. This government policy has been widely criticised as being discriminatory, as it restricts access on the basis of the length of residence rather than on the basis of need.
Migrants find it difficult to access the court system legal aid is very hard to obtain for immigration matters. The only affordable and obtainible place for migrants to get legal assistance is through community legal centres, but centres are slowly closing down all around Australia. It a lot of instances migrants find it hard to understand their rights because they are different to the rights which they were given in their home country. They also find it difficult to take matters to court because it is first hard to find a lawyer who can bridge the language barrier and secondly they have had negitive experiances with the law in their home country.
The Austrlain legal system has been sucessful in helping migrants fit into society but there are many area’s in which they have not been as sucessful, Things like the social security, housing, and legal services. In the late 1960’s and the early 70’s multiculturism was a very new thing which was not widely excepted, but in that time the government has made huge steps to tackle that problem. People are now more excepting of multiculturism and those who still hold racist veiw are seen as a minority. Dispite the fact that in 1998 when the One Nation Party gained 12% of the Australian populations support, support has now lowered and it cannot be said that, the entire 12% was in support of the Anti-Asian policy. The government has made racism against the law but still allowed people the freedom of their own opinions, because under The racial discrimination Act Racially offensive behaviour between friends is not covered by this act. Some people may think that is a bad thing but this allows people freedom and not be guilty of “thought crimes.”
Changes should be made to the legal system so that it is easier for migrants to gain access to the court system. Migrants dispite being seen as different, they can still get into civil situations just like Australian born people, but unlike Australian’s they are disadvantaged when it come to the court system. That’s why more effort should be put in to tackle the problem of migrants not being able to accesss the court system. Language barriers have to be broken down in order for migrants to truly feel that they are aquireing justice.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
COUNCIL FOR MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIA (CMA)
SBS TELEVISION
SBS RADIO
DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS (DIMIA)
DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS (DIMIA)
The photocopied sheets from the book Law in focus was used, pages 255 to 269 were used.